Release Notes for Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1)

Release Date: July 30, 2009

Part Number: OL-20325-01 D0

This document describes the caveats and limitations for Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1) and Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Release 4.1(3)N1. Use this document in conjunction with the documents listed in the "Related Documentation for Fabric Manager" section.

Note As of Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1), Fabric Manager information will no longer appear in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Release Notes for NX-OS releases. Cisco Fabric Manager Release Notes will include information that is exclusive to Fabric Manager as a management tool for Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches and Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches.

Introduction

Cisco Fabric Manager is the management tool for storage networking across all Cisco SAN and unified fabrics.

Cisco Fabric Manager provides comprehensive visibility for improved management and control of Cisco storage networks (2-, 4-, and 8-Gbps Fibre Channel and Fibre Channel over Ethernet [FCoE]), and it helps reduce overall total cost of ownership (TCO) and complexity through unified discovery of all Cisco Data Center 3.0 devices and through task automation and detailed reporting.

•In terms of testing and support, future releases of Cisco Fabric Manager 4.x will be backwards compatible with the two previous releases of MDS NX-OS 4.x and with the two highest releases in the SAN-OS 3.x release series.

Compatibility with Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Switches

Cisco Family Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1) has limited support for Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches running versions earlier than Release 4.0(1a)N1, because it does not support FCoE features on Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches running versions earlier than Release 4.0(1a)N1.

Installation Changes for Cisco Fabric Manager in This Release

If you plan to make use of the new Fabric Manager Server federation feature, which is described in the "Fabric Manager Server Federation" section, then you need to follow a slightly different installation procedure for Cisco Fabric Manager. See the "Installation of Cisco MDS NX-OS and Fabric Manager" section in the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide for details.

If you do not plan to install a federation of servers, then the installation procedure is unchanged from Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.13(b).

Upgrading Your Version of Cisco Fabric Manager

Cisco Fabric Manager is included on the CD-ROM that ships with the switch. You can install Fabric Manager from the CD-ROM or from files that you download.

Installing Cisco Fabric Manager is a multistep process that involves installing a database, as well as Fabric Manager. The complete installation instructions are provided in the "Installation of Cisco MDS NX-OS and Fabric Manager" section in the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide,and are available on-screen once you launch the Fabric Manager installer from the CD-ROM.

Note When upgrading Fabric Manager, refer to the supported upgrade path shown in Table 3. For example, when upgrading from SAN-OS Release 3.1(x) to NX-OS Release 4.2(x), you will need to upgrade from Release 3.1(x) to Release 3.2(x) to Release 3.3(x) and then upgrade to NX-OS Release 4.2(x).

If you are upgrading Cisco Fabric Manager in Cisco SAN-OS Releases 3.1(2b) and later, be aware that data is migrated from the Hypersonic HSQL database to either the PostgreSQL database or Oracle Database 10g Express during the installation. Data is also migrated from Oracle Database 10g Express to Oracle Database 10g Express. If you migrate the database from Oracle to Oracle, the schema is updated. Refer to Table 3 for information on the supported upgrade path.

If you are upgrading Fabric Manager in a Cisco SAN-OS Release prior to 3.1(2b), be aware that data is migrated from the Hypersonic HSQL database to either the PostgreSQL database or the Oracle Database 10g Express during the installation. The Fabric Manager Installer installs the PostgreSQL database on Windows. If you want to install the PostgreSQL database on Solaris or Linux, or if you want to install the Oracle Database 10g Express database, follow the instructions in the "Installing Fabric Manager" section in the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

4. If you are upgrading a previous installation of Fabric Manager, make sure the previous installation is installed and running. Do not uninstall the previous version. If the previous version is uninstalled, the database will not be migrated and your server settings will not be preserved.

5. Select the database.

If you want to use the Oracle Database 10g Express, you must install the database and create a user name and password before continuing with the Fabric Manager installation. We recommend the Oracle Database 10g Express option for all users who are running Performance Manager on large fabrics (1000 or more end devices).

If you want to install the PostgreSQL database, you must disable any security software you are running as PostgreSQL may not install certain folders or users. You must also log in as a Superuser before you start the installation.

Note If you are running Fabric Manager Server on Windows and using the PostgreSQL database, you should examine your Windows Active Directory environment for organizational units (OUs) and make the change recommended below to ensure that Fabric Manager Server does not periodically stop working.

On a Windows system, the Microsoft Active Directory applies a Group Policy Object (GPO) to the Fabric Manager Server. The GPO does not recognize the local user PostgreSQL because it is not in the GPO allow list. As a result, the GPO removes it, and the PostgreSQL database stops working.

To avoid this situation, you should move the Fabric Manager Server to its own OU and apply the same feature settings as the original OU, but remove the local user account to log in as a service.

If your server is running Terminal Services in Application mode, or if you are running Citrix Metaframe or any other variation, you need to enter the following command at the DOS prompt before installing Fabric Manager Server:

Step 1 Open a command-line prompt by selecting Start > Run, and then type cmd and press Return.

Step 2 At the command prompt, type user /install.

Note Do not close the command line window. This must remain open for the entire duration of the install.

The following is an example of the output of this command:

C:\Documents and Settings\user.domain>USER /INSTALL

User session is ready to install applications.

Step 3 Follow all steps needed to install Fabric Manager, Fabric Manager Server, and Device Manager. See the instructions later in this section.

Step 4 When the installation is complete, at the command prompt, type user /execute and press Return. Then type exit and press Return.

To resolve this issue, close all open folders and open Windows Explorer task windows and restart the FM Installer.

Caution Windows 2000 is incompatible with Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1). If you install Fabric Manager in a Windows 2000 environment, you are at risk of having an unstable Fabric Manager. We recommend that you exit the installation and update your environment. See
Table 4 for the list of supported software that has been tested with Cisco Fabric Manager. See
Table 3 for the supported upgrade paths for Fabric Manager.

To install Device Manager on your workstation, follow these steps:

Step 1 Enter the IP address of the switch in the Address field of your browser.

Step 4 Follow the onscreen instructions to complete the installation of Device Manager.

Note If you use a Java JDK instead of a JRE on Solaris, you might encounter a problem trying to install the Device Manager from a web browser. This can happen because the installer heap limit of 256 MB is not sufficient. If you have this problem, save the jnlp link as file, increase the heap limit to 512 MB, and run javaws element-manager.jnlp at the shell prompt.

New Features in Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1)

This section briefly describes the new features introduced in this release. Each feature description includes the name of the Configuration Guide where the feature is documented in detail. The "New and Changed" section of each book provides a list of all new features and includes links to the feature description.

For information about the new features introduced in Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1), see the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Release Notes for Cisco MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1).

For information about new features introduced in the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches, see the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Release Notes, Release 4.1(3)N1.

Product Documentation Changes

As of Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1), software configuration information is available in new feature-specific configuration guides for the following information:

•System management

•Interfaces

•Fabric

•Quality of service

•Security

•IP services

•High availability and redundancy

The information in these new guides previously existed in the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Fabric Manager Configuration Guide. That configuration guide remains available on Cisco.com and should be used for all software releases prior to Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1). Each new guide addresses the features introduced in or available in a particular release. Select and view the configuration guide that pertains to the software installed in your switch.

You can also find a link to Cisco Fabric Manager documentation from the Cisco MDS 9000 NX-OS and SAN-OS Software page on Cisco.com.

Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1) New Features

Cisco Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1) includes the following new features and enhancements:

•Fabric Manager Server clustering

•Data Center switch discovery through CDP

•Host provisioning wizard

•Client launch pad

•Performance stats in web client

•Fabric Manager software install wizard

•Fabric Manager platform support

Cisco Fabric Manager Feature Descriptions

This section includes descriptions of the major new features of MDS Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1) and indicates where the feature is documented.

Fabric Manager Server Federation

The Fabric Manager Server federation feature improves management availability and scalability by load balancing fabric discovery, performance monitoring, and event handling processes. Fabric Manager provides a single management pane to view and manage all fabrics within a single federation. A storage administrator can discover and move fabrics within a federation for the purpose of load balancing, high availability, or disaster recovery. In addition, users can connect to any Fabric Manager Server and view all report, inventory, statistics, or logs from a single web browser.

The Fabric Manager Server federation includes these features:

•All Fabric Manager Server nodes in the federation access a common database.

•Up to ten Fabric Manager Servers can form a federation (or cluster) that can manage over 100,000 end devices

Data Center Switch Discovery Through CDP

Cisco Fabric Manager now supports discovery of all Cisco Nexus family switches, Catalyst 4500 Series switches, and Catalyst 6500 Series switches through the Cisco Discovery Protocol (CDP). CDP is a device discovery protocol that runs on all Cisco manufactured equipment, including MDS 9000 Family switches, Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches, Cisco Nexus 7000 Series switches, and Catalyst switches. This feature can provide increased control and visibility of all data center devices by making it easier to plan, configure, and manage unified fabric deployments.

For information about the switch discovery through CDP feature, see the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

Fabric Manager Host Provisioning Wizard

The Cisco Fabric Manager Host Provisioning Wizard provides the ability to set up communication between the existing host and storage devices by using a single management tool. The wizard is designed to provide the requisite utilities to perform seamless migrations.

The wizard allows the administrator to quickly commission and decommission hosts and do the following activities:

•Create a device alias for the host

•Create a DPVM entry for the host

•Add a host and storage device to a zone and activate the zone

•Create a flow between a host and storage device for performance monitoring

Fabric Manager Client Launch Pad

Fabric Manager provides an ability to view the network data and topology through its client application. To load the client, users can log into the server's web interface and start the client from a hyperlink. In an environment where there are multiple Fabric Managers of nonidentical versions managing different parts of the network, users would have to go through the web interfaces of these servers independently to get to their corresponding client because Fabric Manager clients of a particular release may not necessarily be compatible with servers of another release.

The Fabric Manager launch pad, which is new in Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1), introduces a way to circumvent compatibility matching of Fabric Manager Client and Server releases. The process is simplified by taking the server's web URL and starting the client directly through the Java Webstart process. Users no longer need to go through the web interface to load the client. Users will also no longer encounter interoperability issues running multiple versions of Fabric Manager in their network. The launch pad can connect to any Fabric Manager server that is running Fabric Manager Release 3.3(x) or later, through the HTTP protocol and can directly start the server's corresponding client. The launch pad helps users avoid the server's web interface and the client/server interoperability issue.

To load the launch pad, users need to log into the Fabric Manager Web Server to retrieve the launch pad. Once retrieved, subsequent retrieval of the launch pad is unnecessary because a shortcut of the launch pad will be placed on the user's desktop.

The launch pad does not archive Fabric Manager code; it simply facilitates the load of Fabric Manager with the JVM. The launch pad is not aware of the host machine's disk space or memory requirements to launch Fabric Manager. Users should understand that loading the client consumes disk space and increases the memory requirement footprint. The Fabric Manager launch pad can load Fabric Manager clients of version 3.3(x) or later releases.

Where Documented

For information about the Fabric Manager launch pad, see the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

Performance Statistics in the Fabric Manager Web Client

In Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1), you can access performance charts for a topology map or a selected table. You can switch to and from a real-time view of performance statistics.

Where Documented

For information about performance statistics in Fabric Manager, see the Cisco Fabric Manager Fundamentals Configuration Guide.

Fabric Manager Software Install Wizard

The Fabric Manager software install wizard that is available in Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1), provides data caching for repeated use. The wizard can cache the common information input by a particular user, including server location, file transfer protocol, username, and switch image information.

This feature also includes a management domain-based switch list. Rather than listing all the switches in a fabric, this feature enforces domain filtering by listing only those switches contained in a selected management domain. This feature automates the software upgrade process for those switches, and allows a user to save the input data and reuse it for the next software upgrade.

In addition, a new Parallel Version Check/Install checkbox has been added to provide a mechanism for a parallel version check, with or without software installation for all selected switches.

Fabric Manager Platform Changes

The following changes have been made to the platforms that Cisco Fabric Manager supports in Fabric Manager Release 4.2(1):

•Support has been discontinued for the following platforms:

–Solaris 8

–Red Hat Linux Release 4

–Firefox prior to Release 3.0

•Support has been added for the following platforms:

–Red Hat Enterprise Linux Release 5

–Firefox Release 3.0

See Table 4 for the complete list of software that Cisco Fabric Manager in MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1) supports.

Licensed Cisco Fabric Manager Software Packages

This section describes software licenses for Cisco Fabric Manager and applications that are integrated into Cisco Fabric Manager. For information about licenses for Cisco MDS 9000 family software features, see the Cisco MDS 9000 Family Release Notes for MDS NX-OS Release 4.2(1).

Storage Media Encryption Package

The Cisco MDS 9000 Storage Media Encryption package enables encryption of data at rest on heterogeneous tape devices and virtual tape libraries as a transparent fabric service. Cisco SME is completely integrated with Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches and the Cisco Fabric Manager application, enabling highly available encryption services to be deployed without rewiring or reconfiguring SANs, and allowing them to be managed easily without installing additional management software. Refer to the Cisco MDS 9000 Storage Media Encryption package fact sheet for more information. The Storage Media Encryption package is for use only with Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches.

Upgrading to Recover Loss of Performance Manager Data

Caution You must upgrade to Fabric Manager Release 3.1(x) and then upgrade to a later release of Fabric Manager to avoid losing Performance Manager data. If data has been lost, follow the steps below to recover the data.

Java Web Start

When using Java Web Start, it is recommended that you do not use an HTML cache or proxy server. You can use the Java Web Start Preferences panel to view or edit the proxy configuration. To do this, launch the Application Manager, either by clicking the desktop icon (Microsoft Windows), or type ./javaws in the Java Web Start installation directory (Solaris Operating Environment and Linux), and then select Edit> Preferences.

If you fail to change these settings, you may encounter installation issues regarding a version mismatch. If this occurs, you should clear your Java cache and retry.

Shortcuts Remain on Desktop After Uninstall

If you install Fabric Manager or Device Manager on Windows Vista, you may see the application shortcuts on your desktop, even after you uninstall the application. To remove the shortcuts, refresh the desktop.

Deleting Cisco SME Interfaces

A Cisco SME interface can be deleted from the cluster only after the interface is administratively shut down and all related tasks associated with the interface shutdown are complete.

Emulex Driver Version

In some instances, the Emulex driver version 8.1.10.9 may set the task attribute to HEAD_OF_QUEUE instead of SIMPLE_QUEUE. Certain tape drives do not accept this attribute and may reject these commands. The Emulex driver version 8.1.10.12 does not have this issue.

Compatibility of Fabric Manager and Data Mobility Manager

Cisco Fabric Manager in any MDS NX-OS 4.x release does not support Data Mobility Manager (DMM) in any SAN-OS 3.3(x) release or in any 3.2(x) release. To use the Cisco Fabric Manager GUI for DMM, both Fabric Manager and DMM must be running NX-OS or SAN-OS software from the same release series.

Using Fabric Manager for an In-Service Software Upgrade (ISSU)

If you are using Fabric Manager to perform an ISSU to NX-OS Release 4.2(1) from any release prior to NX-OS Release 4.1(1a), the upgrade might fail. To work around this issue, perform the upgrade from the command-line interface using the install all command. DDTS CSCta94252, which is a duplicate of CSCsu68898, captures the details of this issue.

Ethernet Configuration

SPAN

You cannot use Device Manager to configure Ethernet or virtual Ethernet interfaces as SPAN source ports or to configure Ethernet interfaces as destination ports. The workaround is to configure SPAN using CLI commands.

Zoning

In the Edit Local Full Zone Database tool, virtual Fibre Channel interfaces must be specified using the Switch Port WWN method of adding members to a zone. In the Add Members to Zone dialog box, the Switch & Port method and the Domain & Port method are not supported for virtual Fibre Channel interfaces.

Caveats

This section lists the open and resolved caveats for this release. Use Table 7 to determine the status of a particular caveat. In the table, "O" indicates an open caveat and "R" indicates a resolved caveat.

Open Caveats

Symptom: Fabric Manager takes 2 to 3 minutes to bring up the DMM job creation wizard in a setup with 25 switches, 400 enclosures, and 2400 entries in the name server.

Workaround: None.

•CSCsu72195

Symptom: When replaying DMM job configurations saved as an ASCII text file (after performing a write erase), the DMM job includes discrepancies. These discrepancies occur due to the interface and zone configurations that are in an area below the DMM job configuration in the ASCII text file. The configurations stored in the ASCII text file are replayed sequentially from top to bottom.

Workaround: None.

Related Documentation for Fabric Manager

The documentation set for the Cisco Fabric Manager includes the following documents. To find a Fabric Manager document online, access the following website:

Related Documentation for MDS 9000 Family Switches

The documentation set for NX-OS for the Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches includes the following documents. To find an NX-OS document online for the Cisco MDS 9000 Family switches, access the following website:

Related Documentation for Nexus 5000 Series Switches

The documentation set for NX-OS for the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches includes the following documents. To find an NX-OS document online for the Cisco Nexus 5000 Series switches, access the following website:

Hardware Installation

Command-Line Interface

•Cisco Nexus 5000 Series Command Reference, Cisco NX-OS Release 4.1

Reference

•Cisco NX-OS System Messages Reference

Obtaining Documentation and Submitting a Service Request

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